Takeaways From Miami Heat's Loss Against Denver Nuggets In Game 5

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat to win their first championship in franchise history

Even though the Miami Heat played below their standard, they still had a chance to force a Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets.

All they needed was a good shot.

Jimmy Butler had it with a game-changing layup but instead turned it over after deciding to pass to Max Strus. The Nuggets took advantage of it and sealed it with two free throws from Bruce Brown. Nikola Jokic was named Finals MVP after finishing with 28 points and 16 rebounds.

Here are some takeaways from the game:

-Well, “Playoff Jimmy” officially expired. Butler finished with 21 points but the way he played had many scratching their heads. Not only was he responsible for the worst play of the game but it looked as if he didn’t want to shoot the ball, finishing with just five field goals. When he did shoot it, the shot looked like he didn’t put a lot of effort into it.

-Bam Adebayo had one of the most productive first quarters of the series. He scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. He started shooting poorly in the second half but finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

-Tyler Herro has been sidelined with a broken hand these playoffs. But hours before the game, it was announced he was available. The Heat definitely could’ve used his shooting, even if he came off the bench. They got a ton of great looks, particularly in the first half. But they still missed most of them, shooting 34 percent for the game.

-The Nuggets won but still shot horribly from the 3-point line. It was unusual since they were one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the playoffs. They shot only 17 percent, the worst since Mar. 30. Jamal Murray led the team in 3-pointers made with two in the second half.

-After going scoreless in Game 4, Strus bounced back with 12 points but Gabe Vincent still struggled. He finished with six points on 23 percent shooting, scoring all of them in the second half.

-Though it’s too late, Kyle Lowry looked like he was getting into a groove. He led all reserves with 12 points, his second straight game with double-figure points. He only shot 30 percent from the field but it was still impressive, considering he rarely has streaks like those now.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.